Social interaction inevitably involves mindreading. We?re constantly monitoring each other?s intentions, knowledge, plans, interests, and so on. This is especially true of language. If you?re told that your shoelaces are undone, the speaker probably assumes that you didn?t?know?that your shoelaces are undone and that you?re?interested?to learn that they are. Thus, communication is rooted in everyday psychology.
You?ll also study language from an evolutionary point of view. Humans are by far the most social species on the planet. We?re by far the most intelligent. And we?re the only species with language. This could be an accident, but it seems more likely that these facts are related, and in order to investigate how they?re connected, we adopt an evolutionary approach.
Career prospects
Philosophy has a unique role within contemporary society. Unlike other academic disciplines, its subject matter is not limited to one set of questions, or one domain of investigation. Philosophers poke their noses into all aspects of science and society. In order to do this, they must possess two essential skills, namely the ability to analyse complex issues logically and conceptually and the ability to document their conclusions in clear and persuasive language. Such skills are not innate. They require intensive training. The research Master's programme in Philosophy constitutes the first professional step towards the acquisition of these skills.
Job positions
The programme at ?has been designed for people with the ambition to do research. Graduates tend to fall into one of three groups:
- A majority of the students continue their research within academia by applying for a doctoral programme in the Netherlands or abroad. We take particular pride in the fact that more than 75 percent of our graduates manage to obtain a PhD position within two years of graduating.
- A second group goes on to teach philosophy at secondary schools.
- And a third group enter research-related professions outside of education.
Want to learn more??
Would you like to learn more about this programme and Radboud University? Join us for our Master?s Open Day on 16 March 2019! To learn more and register for this exciting event, visit www.ru.nl/masters/openday.
